In recent years, I have come across a lot of #hustle content. These posts and videos usually include emblems of luxury: fast cars, huge houses, and beautiful travel locations, accompanied with captions that illuminate the content creator’s “grind”. These creators claim to wake up before the sunrise to follow strict, demanding routines to attend to their multiple side-hustles. They wear sacrifices like a badge of honor, exalting how they gave up sleep and social life to one day achieve a lifestyle worth the loss. Millions of people subscribe to this aspirational content. Frankly, we as a people need to reevaluate the hustle, and consider if it’s truly the way to reach financial freedom.
The origin of the word “hustle” stemmed from a generation’s insecurity around economic acquisition- specifically in the black community. One of the first usages of the word emerged in an article written by Timothy Thomas Fortune for The Southwestern Christian Advocate (1888) in which he writes “The average colored man does not know how to hustle”. Although the term was used derogatorily, portraying black Americans as lazy, it was later adopted by rappers in the late 1990’s/early 2000s to describe legal-adjacent means of money making in a rigged economic system- such as drug dealing.
In the present day, the term is again being used in the midst of economic insecurity. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent recession has left most Americans in a vulnerable economic position. This, coupled by the American value of meritocracy (your amount of effort directly correlates to your amount of reward) leads people to subscribe to the concept of hustle we value today. But is anyone truly gaining from this lifestyle? Based on content under #hustle, the current rich equation is this:
Minimal pleasures+ maximizing productivity= wealth
But if that was the case, shouldn’t all of us be wealthy? I mean, the average American works hard. They don’t have a choice in this economy. And with remote work blurring the line between home and office, Americans find it even harder to unplug and enjoy life’s pleasures, so much so that they’ve taken the least amount of vacation days globally and 72 percent report feeling burnt out. So minimal pleasure? Check.
Maximizing productivity? Check. Yet, the majority of Americans are still living paycheck to paycheck.
It’s safe to say this equation is not the true route to wealth, but even if it was, would it be worth it? Say you truly hustled in an insta-worthy fashion: giving up sleep, health, and social life to optimize your gain. By the time you accumulate significant wealth, you would be too chronically ill and lonely to enjoy it. There simply must be a better way. Here’s a couple ideas to consider on your economic journey.
- What’s the real goal?
When put in very vulnerable positions, it’s natural to want to be in the extreme opposite of the spectrum. So of course, in a time where America feels very poor, we aspire to the lives of the extremely rich. It’s for that same reason that maximalist fashion always comes into style during recessions. We try to compensate for our economic insecurities by cosplaying wealth. So, it’s no surprise that #hustle content has such a huge following. The notion that extreme wealth is completely under our control is appealing to a group economically stunted by uncontrollable circumstances. But it’s these extremely high goal posts that drive toxic work practices. Of course, the average American would have to work themselves like a horse for decades if the vision is million-dollar mansions and luxury cars, which is why we must reevaluate the goal.
Do we truly want the material items of the wealthy, or the easy lifestyle that it symbolizes. In a 2008 study on what Americans value, the Pew Research Center revealed that “Having enough free time to the things you want to do” was the top-rated value on the list at 67%. It’s not the items of the rich we envy but the freedom and stability that comes with those riches. Once you focus on what’s truly important to you, more attainable goals can be constructed. Ask yourself if work was optional, what would I do with my time? And see how you can work that hobby into your life with your current tax bracket. For example, I enjoy reading, but work full time. Instead of sacrificing free time until I get to an economic bracket that allows me to read for hours a day, I work reading into my schedule now, in 10-30 minute increments. You can do the same for painting, gardening, time with kids, or even just sit and relax. Instead of working towards a luxurious lifestyle, work luxury into your lifestyle. - Passive Income
Although hustle culture convinces us to work harder, there are many ways to work smarter, by making your money work for you. This doesn’t have to be through stressful side-hustles, but through passive income, such as stocks, renting land/property, or social media promotions. The more money is working for you, the less you must work for money.
Ironically, I actually don’t hate #hustle. In fact, I find myself looking up similar motivational content when I struggle to get into a productive mindset. But any movement that tries to convince us our fates are completely in our control is simply not true. The last couple of years are proof of that. However, once we focus on things that truly matter to us, we can adapt any circumstance to put those things back in the forefront.
luthre 
